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...Young man with a
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ANDRES Restaurant, which opens daily to the public, has 11 employees comprised of both Trinidadians and Venezuelans nationals.
The customer base is now 50/50 of Latin and locals.
Andres believes hard work pays off and prides himself as a young man with a 'small kitchen and big brains'.
Andres acknowledged that his journey has been an encouragement to other Venezuelans who would often tell him because of his experience they were inspired to also become entrepreneurs. He said while he is aware that there are Venezuelans who find themselves on the other side of the law, 'they don't represent my country and they don't represent me'.
He said many Venezuelans are doing good things.
The young entrepreneur advices others to do the small jobs like cooking or cleaning to make an honest dollar. He admitted that the food business is tough and though he may not choose this type of business again, he does enjoy the adrenaline it triggers.
Andres believes it is important that people understand the value migrants can add, saying, 'When you going to support a small business… don't think about you supporting foreign people, think about you supporting your economy, because for business like me (mine), I am Venezuelan, but I buy my goods from locals, so we keep a circular economy. The money stays inside the country…keep your mind open to build a country'. He likened Trinidad to America, where people of different origins co-exist. He said he is grateful for the opportunities Trinidad and Tobago has given him.
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